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Tennessee Sports News & CoverageMon, 16 Oct 2017 20:55:07 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.1A to Z Sports is Nashville's On Demand Sports Talk Show. Every weekday at 8amCT, Austin Stanley & Zach Bingham discuss local sports topics from around the state including the Titans, Preds, Vols, Vandy, SEC and more!<br />
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WATCH: Nick Saban is the antithesis of Butch Joneshttps://atozsportsnashville.com/nick-saban-butch-jones/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/nick-saban-butch-jones/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 20:55:07 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107813It’s Alabama week for the sputtering Tennessee Vols. Needless to say, it’s not going to end well for the 34-point underdogs on Saturday. Alabama will win with relative ease and embarrass the Orange and White on national television However, don’t tell that to Alabama coach Nick Saban. During his Monday press conference, Saban did what […]

Needless to say, it’s not going to end well for the 34-point underdogs on Saturday. Alabama will win with relative ease and embarrass the Orange and White on national television

However, don’t tell that to Alabama coach Nick Saban.

During his Monday press conference, Saban did what he normally does. Similar to Jones, he speaks in cliches and is normally snarky toward the media. But while Jones is normally more passive aggressive, Saban attacks journalists with an entertaining brand of blunt force trauma.

Just watch this clip below:

Earlier in his press conference, Saban threw immense praise toward Jones and the Vols, saying that the fifth-year coach was doing a “good job.” In the clip, he called the rivalry between Alabama and Tennessee a “competitive” one over the past decade.

Both claims are false, but what Saban is attempting to accomplish with this attitude is exactly why the Crimson Tide are by far the best team in college football. Regardless of who Alabama lines up against, Saban demands a borderline unreachable standard and convinces his team that every opponent is a good opponent.

Meanwhile, Jones uses the “we played a good football team” line to deflect blame off of puzzling losses.

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/nick-saban-butch-jones/feed/0EXTRA POINT: Vandy Football has 2 massive problems… and one of them isn’t the QBhttps://atozsportsnashville.com/vandy-football-massive-problems-qb/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/vandy-football-massive-problems-qb/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 20:22:48 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107814QB Kyle Shurmur is playing well, but Vandy Football is still 3-4 The EXTRA POINT is presented by Corner Pub Brentwood. For Nashville’s best Meat n’ 3, craft beers and more… The Neighborhood Meets at the Corner! Featured Image via USA Today

The EXTRA POINT is presented by Corner Pub Brentwood. For Nashville’s best Meat n’ 3, craft beers and more… The Neighborhood Meets at the Corner!

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/vandy-football-massive-problems-qb/feed/0Vols- There Are Two Reasons Why Butch Jones Has Not Been Fired By Tennessee Yethttps://atozsportsnashville.com/vols-two-reasons-butch-jones-not-fired-tennessee-yet/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/vols-two-reasons-butch-jones-not-fired-tennessee-yet/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 16:50:12 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107803TODAY’S TOPIC: Vols: There are two reasons why Butch Jones has not been fired by Tennessee yet — Should the buyout money impact the future of Butch?? — Why hasn’t John Currie said anything to this point?? — What’s the temperature of the fan base — Grading Guarantano

]]>TODAY’S TOPIC: Vols: There are two reasons why Butch Jones has not been fired by Tennessee yet — Should the buyout money impact the future of Butch?? — Why hasn’t John Currie said anything to this point?? — What’s the temperature of the fan base — Grading Guarantano

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/vols-two-reasons-butch-jones-not-fired-tennessee-yet/feed/0TODAY'S TOPIC: Vols: There are two reasons why Butch Jones has not been fired by Tennessee yet -- Should the buyout money impact the future of Butch?? -- Why hasn't John Currie said anything to this point??]]>A to Z Sports1:24:41Butch Jones reveals the missing ingredient from Saturday’s losshttps://atozsportsnashville.com/butch-jones-press-conference/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/butch-jones-press-conference/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 16:48:09 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107799After plunging into the abyss that is evaluating Tennessee’s offense, head coach Butch Jones discovered what was missing: The Vols didn’t score touchdowns. “We did everything we wanted to do except score touchdowns,” Jones said at his weekly Monday press conference at Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio. Tennessee managed only three field goals against […]

]]>After plunging into the abyss that is evaluating Tennessee’s offense, head coach Butch Jones discovered what was missing:

The Vols didn’t score touchdowns.

“We did everything we wanted to do except score touchdowns,” Jones said at his weekly Monday press conference at Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio.

Tennessee managed only three field goals against the Gamecocks and have gone ten quarters without scoring a touchdown.

However, according to Jones, the Vols still managed to establish somewhat of an identity against South Carolina.

“I thought we played our style of football against South Carolina,” Jones said. “We rushed for 100 yards in the third quarter… We played to our style of football. We played winning football, but just didn’t win. We didn’t have the final element.”

Despite starting the game on a positive note offensively, the final tallies weren’t pretty. The Vols finished with 253 yards of total offense and converted only 3 of their 13 third-down attempts.

Jones optimistic about Guarantano moving forward

Although the final numbers — 11-of-18, 133 yards — don’t pop out, Jones was very pleased with Jarrett Guarantano’s debut performance. According to Jones, the redshirt freshman brought energy and leadership to the table.

However, Guarantano also held onto the ball too long at times, resulting in seven sacks.

“We’ll continue to evolve the offense with Guarantano,” Jones said. “It’s all about playing to his strengths.”

Player Updates

Evan Berry, who has missed the last four games due to injury, will practice today, but Jones could not confirm at this time if Berry would be available for Saturday’s matchup against Alabama. Linebacker Jakob Johnson will also practice today.

Kicker Aaron Medley missed Saturday’s game due to an illness and will continue to miss time because of it.

The Task Ahead

Tennessee travels to Tuscaloosa this weekend to take on the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, who Jones praised immensely on Monday.

“Probably the most complete football team I’ve seen (in a long time,” Jones said.

Currently, the Crimson Tide are 34-point favorites over the Vols, the largest spread in the rivalries history. It comes as no surprise, as Alabama has outscored its four SEC opponents by a combined score of 193-31.

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/butch-jones-press-conference/feed/0Grading Guarantano: The Vols QB had ups, downs in his first career starthttps://atozsportsnashville.com/grading-guarantano-vols-qb-first-start/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/grading-guarantano-vols-qb-first-start/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 16:23:15 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107802By Andrew Darago, VFL Insider Jarrett Guarantano got his first career start this past Saturday against South Carolina after Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and his staff took the bye week to look over their offensive struggles following a 41-0 beating at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. Guarantano had played in spirts this season, […]

Jarrett Guarantano got his first career start this past Saturday against South Carolina after Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and his staff took the bye week to look over their offensive struggles following a 41-0 beating at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Guarantano had played in spirts this season, but the match up with the Gamecocks was his first chance at starting the game from the beginning as opposed to some random time when Jones would decide to thrust him into the game.

Passing

It truly is hard to grade Guarantano on how he did throwing the ball against South Carolina. He went 11 for 18 for 133 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns.

It was clear as day that he was handcuffed by the play calling. John Kelly was the featured aspect of the offense, as he was the bulk of the offense during the first half. Guarantano had limited opportunities to throw the ball as Butch Jones/Larry Scott chose to focus on running the ball.

There were some questionable throws, but Guarantano showed late what everyone has known. He has power behind his throws. During Tennessee’s final drive, he threw an absolute laser to Marquez Callaway to keep the drive going. Then another to Brandon Johnson.

The odd part about the playing calling in this game is that (again) the coaching staff had a two weeks to get prepare. There is no doubt in this writer’s mind that Jones and his staff knew they were going to start Guarantano as soon as the clock hit 0 against Georgia. That said, they called plays for him like he was a NFL 5th year journeyman who has a career touchdown-interception ratio of 1 to 13.

Grade: C+

Rushing

Normally, a quarterback’s grade really isn’t going to include how he did running the ball. However, Tennessee’s offense if designed, and finally adjusted for, a quarterback that can do so.

Yes, at first glance Guarantano’s rushing stat line is awful. He had 17 carries for -2 yards, but wait, a long of 11 yards. Thanks NCAA rules that sacks count towards a quarterback’s rushing stats unlike the NFL’s stat keeping. Guarantano made several nice runs to keep plays alive and give his team a chance.

Jarrett, trust us, Josh Dobbs feels your plain. Despite the final stat line, Guaratano made plays with his legs. Same as many said with Dobbs, Guarantano needs to learn to learn to stay healthy.

Grade: B

Miscellaneous

Everyone has seen it. Guarantano spiked his helmet following his incomplete pass to end the game. His helmet actually bounced right back up to him and he spiked it again, then he sat on the field in disappointment. South Carolina’s quarterback Jake Bentley ran over to him, brought him to his feet, and gave him a hug.

There have been questions about Guarantano’s sideline demeanor when he was the back-up to Quinten Dormady.

I wrote speficially about those things. I will be the first to admit I may have been wrong. Guarantano’s post game actions and comments show that he cares. That is much different from some of his teammates that have been tweeting comments about other teams or trashing talking South Carolina. Jarrett Guarantano wanted that win on Saturday. With how hard he played and how hard to took that loss, he’s endeared himself to the Tennessee fan base, despite how upset they are with the head coach.

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/grading-guarantano-vols-qb-first-start/feed/0Adoree Jackson: Explains the ‘Art of the Punt Return’https://atozsportsnashville.com/adoree-jackson-titans-art-punt-return/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/adoree-jackson-titans-art-punt-return/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 15:57:36 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107748The number eighteen overall pick in the 2017 draft has many different skill sets. The Titans drafted Adoree Jackson to not only play cornerback but also for his game changing return ability. Tennessee hopes that Jackson turns out to have the return career to that of Deon Sanders, Devin Hester, Donte Hall and even former […]

]]>The number eighteen overall pick in the 2017 draft has many different skill sets. The Titans drafted Adoree Jackson to not only play cornerback but also for his game changing return ability.

Tennessee hopes that Jackson turns out to have the return career to that of Deon Sanders, Devin Hester, Donte Hall and even former Oiler Billy “White Shoes” Johnson who made three Pro Bowls and was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team as a punt returner.

We got a chance to go into the locker room and talk to Adoree this week. He broke down the different phases of returning a punt to the end zone. Even though Jackson has yet to score a touchdown as a pro, he’s had two called back this year due to penalty.

WATCH & LEARN:

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/adoree-jackson-titans-art-punt-return/feed/0Vanderbilt Must Soul Search Heading into Bye Weekhttps://atozsportsnashville.com/vanderbilt-soul-search-bye-week/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/vanderbilt-soul-search-bye-week/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 11:00:19 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107796By Russell Lorentz, Vandy Insider Derek Mason and his Vanderbilt Commodores have dropped their fourth straight contest, losing Saturday’s affair 57-35 to Ole Miss in Oxford. The Commodores started the season 3-0 after the win over a previously ranked Kansas State team, but seem to have vanished. The Vanderbilt defense has failed to show up […]

The Commodores started the season 3-0 after the win over a previously ranked Kansas State team, but seem to have vanished.

The Vanderbilt defense has failed to show up for the fourth consecutive week after losses to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Ole Miss, after being a strong suit as a top tier unit last season.

Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4 SEC) failed to follow up a 38-17 win in 2016 against the Rebels.

Through the last four games Vanderbilt has surrendered 199 points, roughly fifty per game.

Vandy led 14-7 in the second quarter after Ralph Webb ran for two touchdowns, but Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2 SEC) responded with 28 straight points in less than seven minutes – Vanderbilt never regained momentum.

Webb, Vanderbilt’s all-time leading rusher, broke loose for the first time this season and was a bright spot, running for an SEC career-best 163 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Vanderbilt’s weakness is clearly at the linebacker spot, as more rangy athletes throughout Mason’s group have shown the lack of physicality to strain to finish plays against bigger teams like an Alabama or Georgia, and the issue has prolonged.

In Mason’s fourth season this 2017 Vanderbilt team is arguably his most talented group, and the lack of competiveness and will on defense is a big concern for the rest of the year.

Ole Miss’ offense came into Saturday’s contest last in rushing yards per game (76.7) in the SEC, but amassed 252, paired with 351 yards offensively via Shea Patterson’s arm.

The bye week comes at the right time for the Commodores, as they have navigated their way through a tough four game stretch – but in the SEC it’s what to expect.

Vanderbilt looked to have a breakout year in the win column entering the 2017 season, returning 18 starters.

However, Vandy looks to find itself and scratch out wins in winnable games against South Carolina, Western Kentucky, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee to round out the year.

But the ‘Dores need to look in the mirror, and write the script everyone was optimistic they would write before the season.

Vanderbilt returns to action on Oct. 28, traveling to Columbia to face South Carolina.

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/vanderbilt-soul-search-bye-week/feed/0Five Games that prove Butch Jones is in over his head at Tennesseehttps://atozsportsnashville.com/five-games-butch/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/five-games-butch/#respondSun, 15 Oct 2017 15:57:09 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107792Here’s a fun fact: Tennessee is 7-7 in its last 14 games! I personally challenge Butch Jones to spin zone that one, like he has his entire coaching career! Did Butch Jones write his own graphics for ESPN? #SpinZone #Vols pic.twitter.com/Z0XBbjzINg — AtoZSports Nashville (@AtoZSports) October 14, 2017 For the very few Butch Jones supporters […]

In a span of just two years, Jones has ascended Tennessee football into a realm of promise and optimism into a black hole of despair. Saturday’s 15-9 loss to South Carolina was the cherry on top for Jones’ tenure in Knoxville, but for those who are stuck in the year 2015, here are five games that prove Jones was way in over his head when he accepted one of college football’s most prestigious jobs.

2015 vs Oklahoma, 31-24 2OT loss

This was Jones’ first showcase game. The game that proved to the college football world that his brick-by-brick mentality was thriving in Knoxville.

For three quarters, he looked like a genius. The savior Tennessee football needed.

But then, the fourth quarter happened, and Baker Mayfield happened, and the Vols blew a 17-3 lead despite controlling the vast majority of the game. Eventually, Tennessee lost in double overtime, 31-24.

Sad!

2015 at Florida, 28-27 loss

This was the moment Butch Jones became “Botch Jones.” After scoring a touchdown to take a 26-14 lead in the fourth quarter, conventional wisdom suggests attempting a 2-point conversion because kicking an extra point yields literally zero upside. But Botch read his chart — which probably reads “do the dumbest thing humanly possible in this situation” — and opted to kick the extra point.

Florida eventually won, 28-27.

Sad!

2016 vs South Carolina, 24-21 loss

This loss probably stings the most.

Tennessee entered 2016 as the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC East. After a 5-0 start, that reality appeared inevitable. After back-to-back losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, doubt began creeping in, but the East was still gift-wrapped for the Vols.

However, after a bye week, Jones took that gift and set it ablaze, as Tennessee was stunned by South Carolina, 24-21.

Adding insult to injury, the Gamecocks started a quarterback who was technically a senior in high school and had recently made his debut against UMass, whom he struggled against.

Sad!

2017 vs Georgia, 41-0 loss

Not much to describe here. The worst loss EVER in Neyland Stadium. The worst loss at home for Tennessee since 1905. An absolutely colossal failure on multiple fronts.

It’s one thing to lose to your rivals. It’s another to show zero signs of life.

Sad!

2017 vs South Carolina, 15-9 loss

This past Saturday was the final straw.

The Vols have now gone ten quarters without a touchdown. That’s right, their last touchdown came in the first half against UMass, a game Tennessee won 17-13.

Currently, Tennessee is 0-3 in the SEC. In the Butch Jones era, the Vols are 14-21 in conference play. They’re 5-9 combined against Florida, Georgia, and Vanderbilt.

It’s safe to say that the progress from 2013-2015 has come to a screeching halt.

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/five-games-butch/feed/0Predators Fall To Blackhawks In First Overtime Game Of The Seasonhttps://atozsportsnashville.com/nashville-predators-overtime-chicago-blackhawks/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/nashville-predators-overtime-chicago-blackhawks/#respondSun, 15 Oct 2017 03:32:34 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107780The Predators controlled much of the game, but ultimately fell to the Blackhawks on Saturday night. It was two former Chicago Blackhawks that the team brought back this season that won them the game against the Predators. Patrick Sharp tied things up at 1-1 late for Chicago and in overtime it was Brandon Saad that […]

The Predators controlled much of the game, but ultimately fell to the Blackhawks on Saturday night.

It was two former Chicago Blackhawks that the team brought back this season that won them the game against the Predators.

Patrick Sharp tied things up at 1-1 late for Chicago and in overtime it was Brandon Saad that scored the game winning goal to move the Predators’ record to 2-2-1 on the season. Filip Forsberg was the goal scorer for Nashville.

The Predators were able to out shoot the Blackhawks 18-11 in the first frame, but neither side lit the lamp. Both Nashville and Chicago had two power play chances in the first 20 minutes as well. The Preds had 23 total shot attempts during 5-on-5 play in the opening frame.

The second period started off just as the first did, with plenty of back-and-forth action and not a lot of whistles for stoppages in play. There was one whistle that proved to be significant with 2:06 left in the period as Forsberg drew a tripping minor and the young Swede made the ‘Hawks pay on the man advantage.

Nashville executed a strong power play with P.K. Subban throwing a pass towards the goal leaving Scott Hartnell to poke the puck to Forsberg who scored on the backdoor giving Nashville a 1-0 lead heading into the second intermission. The goal was Forsberg’s fifth in five games this season.

Through 40 minutes of action the Preds led the Blackhawks 30-19 in the shots on goal category.

The final 20 minutes of play mirrored the first 40 minutes as far as style of play goes with both teams pushing and sharing chances. The Blackhawks were able to knot things up at 1-1 thanks Sharp’s goal with just over five minutes left in regulation. The goal was controversial due to the fact just seconds before Nashville’s Matt Irwin’s stick seemed to be held and then slung to the glass, but no penalty was called.

Regulation ended with the Preds holding a 38-31 advantage in shots on goal and the game tied at 1-1.

The Blackhawks had one overtime game under their belt already this season, a loss to Toronto, while this would be Nashville’s first of the year. Chicago controlled the play and Patrick Kane zipped a perfect pass to Saad who beat Pekka Rinne to win the game with 1:55 left in the extra period.

Notes: Nick Bonino played only a handful of shifts before leaving the contest in the first period…Roman Josi missed his third straight game and remains listed as day-to-day…Yannick Weber also missed the game and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury…Nashville’s penalty kill was impressive going 6-for-6 on the night.

]]>https://atozsportsnashville.com/nashville-predators-overtime-chicago-blackhawks/feed/0Butch Jones embarrasses Vol Fans with another dumb commenthttps://atozsportsnashville.com/butch-jones-postgame/
https://atozsportsnashville.com/butch-jones-postgame/#respondSat, 14 Oct 2017 21:47:42 +0000https://atozsportsnashville.com/?p=107772Butch Jones can’t help himself. After an embarrassing 15-9 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks — a team with a fanbase that calls each other “Cock Family” — Jones described a late-game situation in such a manner that it’s embarrassing for Vol Nation. With the ball at the South Carolina 5-yard line with 20 seconds […]

After an embarrassing 15-9 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks — a team with a fanbase that calls each other “Cock Family” — Jones described a late-game situation in such a manner that it’s embarrassing for Vol Nation.

With the ball at the South Carolina 5-yard line with 20 seconds remaining, instead of calling for Jarrett Guarantano to spike the ball in order to preserve time (Tennessee had no timeouts at this point), Jones allowed his true freshman quarterback to run a play.

Eleven seconds ran off the clock, which put it at nine seconds remaining. The Vols then got off three straight incomplete passes – with a defensive pass interference mixed in – and were unable to score.

Here’s what he said:

“We were going to spike the ball, but because I believe we only lost a couple seconds, ” Jones said, “we got lined up fast… We were going to clock the ball, but again, we liked the play call… That had no bearing on anything.”

You can hear the full quote here, courtesy of GoVols247. The quote begins with about 5 minutes left in the clip.